Former Penn State fraternity leaders plead guilty in hazing death of Timothy Piazza

Two former leaders of a Penn State fraternity pleaded guilty for their roles in a hazing incident that led to the death of student Timothy Piazza in 2017.

NBC affiliate WCAU reports Brendan Young, 28, of Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Daniel Casey, 27, of Ronkonkoma, New York, both pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and one count of reckless endangerment.

Young was the president of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Casey was vice president and pledge master at the time of Piazza’s death.

Piazza was just 19 years old when he and other pledges were participating in a bid acceptance event on Feb. 2, 2017. The pledges drank large amounts of alcohol during an initiation event known as the “obstacle course.”

Piazza fell multiple times during the event. He was found unresponsive the following morning and pronounced dead on Feb. 4, 2017, WCAU reports.

According to an autopsy, Piazza drank several times the legal limit for alcohol and suffered severe head and abdominal injuries.

It took fraternity members 40 minutes after finding him unconscious to call for help.

“There should be no discussion of this case without recognizing the tragic loss of life and resulting devastation for Mr. Piazza’s family and friends,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said. “Mr. Piazza was simply seeking to join a social organization for the benefits of community and shared experiences, as so many university students do. Most of those students go on to successful lives and careers — basic expectations following college which Mr. Piazza never had the opportunity to experience.”

Both Casey and Young will be sentenced on Oct. 1.

Beta Theta Pi has since been banned from Penn State.

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